EnviroPolitics Blog

A Philly high school offers training for clean energy careers

Frankford is first school nationwide to have clean energy training lab

By John McDevitt, KYW Newsradio

PHILADELPHIA — Frankford High School in Northeast Philadelphia is making history, as the first high school in the country to have a clean energy training lab. It’s all to prepare students for careers in solar and clean energy.

Solar energy technology is on the cutting edge, and Frankford’s “Bright Solar Futures” program gives students a thorough look at the fast growing careers available in the industry.

“They have over 1,000 hours in training,” said Jordan Crawley, Frankford’s solar energy technology teacher.

“They get hands on training on solar installs … understanding energy conservation and some of the dollars and cents behind the industry, to get them set up to be successful in an array of potential career pathways.”

“I’m trying to be a roof installer when I grow up,” said 11th grader Angel Camacho. “I already know how to do it, how to install it and everything, where the anchor has to go on top of the rooftop, but that’s my main objective in life, to be a roof installer.”

He said it isn’t the best job for anyone afraid of heights. “Sometimes you might be afraid of heights, but if you actually are trying to do a roof install, just don’t look down,” he advised.

Read the full story here

A Philly high school offers training for clean energy careers Read More »

In New York, advocates push for faster electrification of buildings

Advocates for clean energy say installation of air-source or ground-source heat pumps would be best to use in the switch to electricity for heating, cooling and cooking. (Adobe Stock)

By Michayla Savitt, Public News Service (NY)

ALBANY, N.Y. – Groups in support of renewable energy are pushing for legislation and other initiatives to accelerate complete electrification of buildings in the state, as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Alliance for Clean Energy New York is among the advocates supporting the building-code bill that would phase in all-electrical appliances and heating. It passed in the state Senate but has yet to reach the Assembly floor.

ACE New York Executive Director Anne Reynolds said if the state is going to meet its climate goals, it has to accelerate its use of electricity in buildings.

“And it really comes down to making building electrification accessible and affordable for New Yorkers over time,” said Reynolds. “So that when we get to 2040, and 2050, that becomes the standard that all buildings have.”

Reynolds said a way to speed up the change to electric is to offer New Yorkers more incentives to install air-source heat pumps, and enforce possible energy-efficiency efforts into buildings.

The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 establishes that the state must operate at 100% zero-emission energy by 2040.

Read the full story here

Don’t miss NY energy news like this Click for free updates

In New York, advocates push for faster electrification of buildings Read More »

Scorched No. California towns now fear flooding and toxic runoff from cyclone storm

Deer walk through a burn scar from the Dixie fire in the Greenville area. Officials are concerned about debris flows from heavy rainfall in Northern California Thursday evening through Friday morning.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

By ANITA CHABRIA, SUSANNE RUST, LILA SEIDMAN Los Angeles Times

In the burned-out town of Greenville, deep on a Plumas County mountainside, the storms now battering Northern California are another trauma in a year of heartbreak.

“Be careful what you wish for,” Plumas County Supervisor Kevin Goss said Thursday, just off a briefing with state emergency response officials. Torrential rainfall is expected to soften the state’s drought this weekend, but the rain also brings the risk of debris flows and floods in places hit by wildfires.

Don’t miss environmental news like this Click for free updates

“We are going to have some problems,” Goss said. “It was inevitable for this to happen this way. But we will deal with it. We are strong and resilient.”

A large trough of low pressure hovering off the coast of the Pacific Northwest is driving repeated rounds of precipitation in the northern part of California. It ushered in the first major storm of the season Thursday, National Weather Service forecasters said, along with fears that places already hit by the disaster of flames may now be primed for the destruction of downpours.

The storms come after officials announced California’s driest year in a century, but the whipsaw conditions are not totally surprising. Scientists have long warned that climate change could hit the West with quick shifts from dry to wet, and visa versa.

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a flash-flood watch for a portion of northeast California through Friday morning around the Dixie, Sheep, Walker and Beckwourth burn scars. Another storm expected to move in hours after that is lifted — the worst rains are expected on Sunday, when places like Plumas may see up to 10 inches in a 24-hour period.

Read the full story here

Scorched No. California towns now fear flooding and toxic runoff from cyclone storm Read More »

NJ’s creaky old power grid frazzled by solar newcomers

New Jersey looks to improve electrical network and speed steps to get solar online

By Tom Johnson NJ Spotlight

The state Board of Public Utilities is taking an initial step to modernize an aging power grid by trying to speed up the process of connecting new solar-panel systems to distribution systems operated by local utilities.

The current process has been beset by lengthy delays in connecting new solar projects with the power grid. In part that’s because of continuing growth in the sector and also because utilities, particularly in South Jersey, have shut off connections to a large number of their circuits where segments of the system are already at capacity.

Without fixing the problems, the issue could set up barriers to achieving the Murphy administration’s clean-energy goals, advocates say. The state’s Energy Master Plan projects that solar energy will provide 34% of electricity in New Jersey by 2050. It now produces only 4% of electricity used by residents and businesses.

The initiative is the first of many steps to upgrade a power grid that has not been updated for decades at a time when it is being asked to integrate new technologies that could clean the air and reduce global warming and even lower costs to consumers.

Adding connections

“The first place to modernize the grid is to ensure we can connect more clean energy to the grid,’’ said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey and a supporter of the process at the BPU. “Right now, in some regions of the state we are already tapped out.’’

Fred DeSanti, executive director of the New Jersey Solar Energy Coalition, said he welcomes the state looking at the problem, but questions why it will take until next May to deal with the issue.

With the state restructuring the solar program this past summer, it gave solar companies 12 months to complete new installations, including solving interconnections issues, or lose financial incentives awarded under the project, DeSanti said. “At the same time, my guys are getting letters from utilities saying it is going to take 14 months,’’ he said.

In a notice from the BPU, the agency said the first three meetings are designed to establish the scope and set the context for relevant interconnection policies and procedures and will culminate in a draft report next March of findings and recommendations.

Read the full story here

If you liked this post you’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.

NJ’s creaky old power grid frazzled by solar newcomers Read More »

Oregon now has the nation’s toughest landfill emissions rules

By Megan Quinn WasteDive

*The image by Bruce Fingerhood is licensed under CC BY 2.0*

New landfill methane emissions standards in Oregon will regulate a larger set of landfills than before, and already-regulated landfills will need to meet additional monitoring and measurement requirements. It is the most stringent standard of its kind in the United States, Department of Environmental Quality officials said.

The new regulations, which went into effect Oct. 1, will affect all types of landfills in the state, with requirements that vary and apply differently based on factors such as the tonnage of waste the landfill holds and the amount of methane the landfill already produces based on monitoring data.

The rules include provisions that go beyond existing federal regulations, and officials expect it to become a model for other states hoping to tighten their regulations. Some landfill operators have expressed concerns about the financial impact of installing emission control systems earlier than planned or applying for permits that were previously not required.

Read the full story here

Oregon now has the nation’s toughest landfill emissions rules Read More »

Free EnviroPolitics today, Oct. 28, 2021

Check out today’s free issue of EnviroPolitics and lock in your 30 day trial–without charge or obligation.

Stay on top of crucial environmental and political news that can impact your business, organization or career.

Download today’s free issue of EnviroPolitics and lock in your full, 30 day trial–without charge or obligation.

No tricky stuff. At the end of your trial, we will not continue your subscription unless you notify us that you want to continue. And we won’t charge you a penny for it either.

Click to download today’s issue

Want more? Click here to guarantee your full 30-days of free reading.

Did we mention that EP is your first news of the day, landing in your email at 6 a.m.?

Questions? Comments? Feel free to contact me.
Frank Brill
Editor@EnviroPolitics.com
609-577-9017

Free EnviroPolitics today, Oct. 28, 2021 Read More »